Windows
by yumihat
Summary: Windows. How on Earth could they hurt anyone? They're normal enough, right? Nothing is particularly strange about them...Or so we think. Lily is a new girl in a neighborhood full of old houses and is about to learn how an everyday object can scare you to death.
1. The New House

**You know those nightmares that make you wake up and immediately sit up straight and look around your dark room? The ones that make your heart beat rapidly? The ones that make you sweat?**

**Yeah. I had one of those. Now I'm writing a story based on it to calm myself down! *happy face* So I guess you could say this is a first-hand experience? I mean, I technically lived through it if you think about it...**

**Anyways! Here it is!**

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The car ride was annoying enough. I honestly thought it couldn't get any worse. Although, when you say stuff like that, it always gets worse.

"Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!" My baby sister yelled as she placed her hands together. Mom laughed at her and joined in on the annoying clapping. Dad kept driving. You would think you couldn't be annoying with both hands on the wheel, but my dad found a way. He would interrupt the clapping every twenty minutes to give everyone the history of something we really didn't care about. My baby sister was too young to even know what he was ranting on about. My big sister was the least annoying one and seemed to be in the same boat as me. She had two ear buds in her ears, listening to music to block out the noises around her, but I don't think it was working. I could hear her music and she still seemed to be able to hear them.

When dad decided to give us a history lesson on a blade of grass (a war was fought there or something. I'm not sure.), I decided it was time to fall asleep. It was the only way out of the reality of the car. I fell asleep to the sound of dad's voice as his lecture droned on and on.

When I woke up, my vision was blurred. All I saw were globs of color. I rubbed my eyes until I could see my surroundings. I was still in the car. My family, however, was gone. I looked out the window and saw a small neighborhood. The ground was dirt. No roads, no sidewalks, but dirt. The houses were tiny and looked old. One house was in a tall tree that looked like its trunk had been twisted. A spiral staircase wrapped around the tree. I got out of the car and looked at the tree house. I walked to it slowly, wondering who could possibly live up there. A wizard? A witch? Some one who rants about the world ending?

An old man with big eyes and a long "mountain man" beard rushed up and grabbed the railing that made a square around his house. "You blasted kids! Get off my lawn!" He screamed in a voice people usually use to mimic an old man.

"We aren't on your lawn!" A kid screamed. He was surrounded by three other boys who were playing basketball behind a house.

"Dang kids!" The old man yelled again before walking back into his house slowly. I sighed. He's just an old man. Not a wizard, or a witch, or a person who rants about the world ending. He's just an old man. As I walked past the tree, I could hear his voice mumbling something. "New...girl...house...why...dead..." I looked at his house again, now curious. What was he mumbling about? I heard my name being called from another house.

"Lily!" I turned around and looked at my mom who was standing on the porch of a nearby house. "Our new house is right over here. Why don't you pick a room?" She asked. I took one more look at the old man's house and ran to the house. My suitcases and boxes were sitting on the floor, waiting to be unpacked. I grabbed them and made my way up the stairs to the porch, and through the door.

The inside of the house was as dirty and old as the outside. Things were rusted and broken, the oven's door fell off, revealing a thick layer of dust and dirt that caked the inside of the oven. The walls were brown and covered in dirt. Some of the floorboards were falling and creaking. The floor had a few holes in it, making me wonder what was under the house. Although, I don't think I want to know what's down there. My mom's voice echoed through the house. "It's wonderful, isn't it?" She asked with a smile.

There were so many things I wanted to say. "Are you insane?!" "Don't you smell all the dirt?!" "Hope you like cooking in a broken, dusty oven." Instead, I decided to agree with her. I gave her a nod and bit my lip. I walked upstairs and carefully maneuvered through the hallway, hoping the floorboards don't break and send me falling down to the first floor. I picked a room at the end of the hall, across from my older sister's room. The bed looked like someone tried to tie-dye it with dirt and the blankets had holes in it. The metal bed frame and some of the springs that were sticking out were rusted. My mom must be insane. I dropped my stuff near the door, not planning on unpacking. I went across the hall and knocked on my sister's door.

"Come in!" She yelled. I opened the door with a loud creaking sound that tore my ears apart and looked at her room. It looked no better than mine. Even with all of her belongings decorating the room. "What is it, Lily?" She asked.

"Uh...Do you...like this house?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's like my dream house!" She happily stated. I took another look around her room. It still looked like a room made of dirt, wood, and everything she owned. Is she crazy too?

"O...kay..." I mumbled, touching the dusty doorknob again.

"Why? You don't like it?" She asked.

"No...I like it." I muttered. She gave me a look. "Come on, Penny! I told you I liked it!" I tried to give her a convincing smile. She stared at me for a good minute before turning her head away from me. I left her room and looked out a window at the end of the hall. The numerous windows spread around the house were probably the worst thing about this house for me. They mocked me with the freshness of the outdoors while I was stuck exploring a dirty, old house. I walked back to my room. I noticed the two windows gave me a perfect view of our neighbor's flower patch full of colorful, bloomed flowers. I covered the windows with duct tape (every problem can be fixed with duct tape and realized that my room was almost pitch black now. Are the windows my only light source? I looked at a light switch and flipped it. Of course, the light directly in the center of the ceiling did nothing. I looked back at the taped windows, thinking about uncovering them.

I left them alone, not wanting to be teased about the outside world. I hate this house...

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**Don't worry. This isn't the creepy part of it. It's just the beginning. The beginning of a story isn't usually creepy, right? Right.**


	2. A Dinner You Will Never Forget

I walked back downstairs and saw my mom cooking. She placed something into the oven. "Lily! Dinner will be ready in a moment!" She happily assured me. I don't care if it was my favorite food, I'm not eating anything that had been in that oven.

"Um...Actually mom...I'm going to eat with my friend..." I mumbled.

"You already made a friend?! That's wonderful!"

I honestly am not a people person and I really didn't want to talk to someone, but if it gets me out of eating what ever dirt, dust, and rust that may end up in my mom's food, I'll talk to people. I waved my mom good-bye and left the house. I walked in the opposite direction of the house, once again passing by the old man's house. He kept mumbling the same thing over and over. "New...girl...house...why...dead..." I decided it was a good idea to keep walking.

I eventually reached an area where the dirt turned into a road. Sidewalks stretched down the road. I felt like I had just found gold at the end of a rainbow. I continued walking and eventually found houses. Normal houses. Houses that aren't tiny and old and covered in dirt. Houses with a yard full of grass and children's toys. The same four kids the old man yelled at were playing on the sidewalk. Why didn't we move here? Why did they pick that old house when there's tons of normal houses here?

I continued walking, marveling in the houses. I ran into a group of kids without even realizing it. I fell down on my butt and looked up at the trio of boys. "Watch where you're going!" One boy yelled.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." I muttered. I stood up and dusted off my clothes with my hands.

"Eww...Look at how dirty she is..." Another boy muttered. I looked at my clothes and realized they now had a small layer of dirt. "She looks like a rat!" The boy yelled with a smile. The other boys laughed. "Rat girl! Rat girl!" They cheered. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, annoyed by how immature they were.

"Leave her alone..." A weak voice commanded. I turned around and saw another boy. He looked like he was about my age. His voice was quiet-almost a whisper. His blue hair covered his eyes, only showing off his trembling lips. The boys looked at him and smiled.

"Why? You think you can be a hero? You think you can pick up another girl?" The blue-haired boy remained quiet. "Listen, buddy. You might have been a hero and a ladykiller before, but around here, the past doesn't matter."

"You should go..." I mumbled to the blue-haired boy. His lips stopped trembling. I knew he wasn't leaving. I could tell by the way his hands curled into fists.

The boys let out a laugh. "Listen to Rat Girl and get out of here." The boys commanded. A thick silence filled the air as if time had stopped. The blue-haired boy took a step toward the trio. I moved in front of him, trying to prevent anyone from getting hurt. "Hahaha! Look at him! He's still trying!" He took another step, now a simple footstep away from where I was standing. "Your girlfriend wants you to leave! Listen to her!" The boys continued. I turned my head, glared at them for a second and moved out of the blue-haired boy's way as he took another step. The boys trembled. "Y-You don't scare us!" He took another step. The boys hugged each other in fear. He stepped closer. "Alright alright! We'll scram!" One boy yelled. The boys scattered in different directions.

The mysterious boy started walking off. I watched as he placed his hands in his pockets and slowly started disappearing from my sight. "Hey! Wait!" I screamed a the boy. He stopped walking and twisted his body a bit to look at me. I ran up to him and smiled. "Thanks for helping me out."

He used his hand and swept his hair from his face in one swift motion. His eyes looked like they were at one time blue, but are now loosing their color. He had a bland expression on his face, like absolutely nothing happened. "No problem." He simply replied, continuing to walk. I walked beside him. I didn't feel like leaving his side yet. There was something strange about him.

"My name is Lily. I just moved here with my family." I tried to make conversation with him. "We live down that way." I pointed toward the house planted in the middle of nowhere. "The house is old and disgusting, so I came over here. My family thinks it actually looks good. I think they're crazy."

He stopped walking. "You moved into the old neighborhood?" He asked.

"Yeah! You know about it?"

He nodded. "...and you think it looks horrible?" He continued.

I nodded, a bit worried now. "Why?"

"You're a human, right?" He asked. I tilted my head.

"...Yeah..." I mumbled. "Why?" I repeated. He turned to face me and touched my arm. His skin was cold and made me jump.

"I can touch you..." He muttered. He walked around me in a circle. "You can see me perfectly?" He asked. I nodded. He looked at my dirty face in thought."I wonder..." He mumbled.

"Wonder wha-" I was interrupted by the boy's lips. My eyes widened. I tried to back away, but he had his hands on my back. He back off after what seemed like hours and looked at me with the same emotionless face. This guy is the calmest guy in the world. "Dude! What was that for?!" I asked, out of breath.

"Hm..." He hummed in thought. I think he was ignoring me. "You hungry?" He asked. This guy is the strangest person I have ever met. I didn't even know his name yet. "My friend can cook amazing food."

"Uh..." I wanted to say no, I really did. I wanted to run back home. Then I remembered the oven, the dust-filled air, the dirt cover walls, and the food I'd be eating if I went back. Eating with this weird guy is better than being in that house. "...Sure." I reluctantly replied. He grabbed my wrist and walked inside a house.

The house was huge and beautiful. Clean, white walls separated the living room from the kitchen and the dinning room. A big TV sat in the living room, just begging to be turned on. "You should get cleaned up." The blue haired boy commented. "I'll take your shoes and clothes and show you the bathroom." He simply stated.

"M-My clothes?!" I repeated.

"You aren't taking a shower with them on, are you?" He asked.

"N-No...but...Can I wash them myself?" I pleaded.

"Sure." He replied in a happy tone. I took off my shoes and handed them to him. He set them outside and held out his hand. "My name is Minato Arisato, by the way." He finally introduced himself.

"You're so weird..." I muttered, taking Minato's hand. He lead me up the stairs.

"You're the one who came into a stranger's house." He commented. I had to admit, he was right. If he knew what that house was like though, he would've done the same thing. He opened a door, leading to a small bathroom. I walked inside the room and looked at him.

"...There isn't a camera or something in here, is there?" I asked, now suspicious of the stranger.

"Of course not. Why would you even think that?" He asked.

"No reason." I replied. "Now please go." I begged. He nodded and walked off. I heard his footsteps go downstairs. I looked into the mirror and saw my face, smothered in dirt. My hair had clumps of mud in it and I was sure I'd take a while to get it all out. No wonder the boys called me "Rat Girl". I took my shower and tried to clean myself until I ran out of hot water. I grabbed a towel and wrapped myself in it, looking at my face again. It was clean, but was now slightly pink due to all the hot water I used. I heard a loud yell from downstairs.

"Dammit! I forgot the vinegar!" A loud voice yelled angrily. I knew that voice didn't belong to Minato. It was too deep. As I wondered who that was, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it a crack and hid my body behind the door.

"Dinner is ready." Minato's familiar voice announced. Yep. That other voice definitely wasn't him.

"Okay." I replied. I shut the door and glared at my pile of dirty clothes. I put them back on, not wanting to run out there and eat with just a towel on. I walked back downstairs and into the dinning room where Minato and a man with a beanie were already eating. The other man looked older than Minato and me. He also looked meaner than Minato.

"Hey, Lily. Why don't you take a seat?" Minato offered. I sat down and fixed myself a plate. "This is Shinjiro Aragaki. He's the one who cooks around here." He introduced. Shinjiro stayed quiet and continued eating. "He's a little grumpy."

"Hello Shinjiro. The food is good." I complimented.

"Whatever." He mumbled. A moment of silence filled the room as we ate.

"Minato, what was up with all the questions and stuff earlier?" I asked. It had been nagging me for a long time and I just had to know.

"Well, normally, people can't see ghosts clearly and we can't touch them without fazing through them, but you can see us perfectly fine and I could grab your wrist and touch your arm." Minato explained bluntly.

"Ghosts?! You guys are ghosts?!" I asked.

"Yeah. You couldn't tell?" He asked. "I thought you knew."

"No!" I replied. "Is everyone around here a ghost?!" I asked.

"Yeah. You should meet George Washington-"

"George Washington is here too?!"

"Of course. This is where all ghosts go. You seriously couldn't tell it was a neighborhood of ghosts?" He asked.

"So this...this is like heaven?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Yep."

"So a neighborhood full of ghosts...is heaven?" I asked, calming down a bit.

"Yep." Minato nodded. "Where did you say you were from again?" He asked.

"I moved here from a regular neighborhood to a house next to this crazy old guy down that way." I pointed out the window, down the road to the middle of nowhere. Minato and Shinjiro's eyes followed my finger down the road. Their eyes widened. "What?" I asked.

"You don't happen to have family living there, would you?" Shinjiro asked.

"Yeah...My baby sister, mom, dad, and older sister..." I mumbled.

"...I think you should go home."


	3. Back To The House

**I will warn you now. This chapter has glass shattering, blood, and plenty of death.**

**I warned you.**

* * *

I stared at the two in shock. "What's at home?" I asked.

"A ghost of pure evil." Minato mumbled quietly. My heart was pounding. I ran outside and down the road. About thirty minutes later, I found myself at the house. I could hear the old man's mumbling. "Death...Death...Death...Death..." I rushed into the house. It looked exactly how I left it. My mom's cold dinner sat on the table. The house was silent. I walked upstairs. My mom stood at the end of the hall. I let out a sigh of relief, she was fine.

"What's wrong sweetie?" She asked. "Where are your shoes?" She asked. I forgot that I left my shoes at Minato's house. My feet were bleeding from running on the road for so long. I opened my mouth to answer, but as I looked at the window behind her, I couldn't speak. "Sweetie?" Behind her, a woman's reflection was in the window. She had her hair in a messy bun. Her face was covered in dirt, blood, and tears. She was extremely pale, bringing out her black hair and pure red eyes. "Lily?" My mom's voice shook. The woman's arms came out of the window and wrapped around my mom. "Lily?" She repeated. The woman pulled my mom out the window, her body fell with my mom's body, shattering the glass and crashing the ground with a loud THUD!

I couldn't stop crying. I shook my head, hoping it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. My mom can't be dead. I ran downstairs, looking for my dad.

"Lily? Why are you crying?" My dad asked from behind me.

"Mom...M-Mom...she's..." I stammered as I cried more and more.

"Your mom?" He repeated in a confused tone.

I turned around and faced him. "Y-Yeah...mom...she...the window..." I continued stammering. "...She fell out the window..." I mumbled.

"Your mother died ten years ago from an illness, remember?" He calmly asked. My eyes widened. I just saw her! The girl in the window pulled her! "You okay, Lily?" He questioned. Another couple of tears escaped my eyes.

"N-No..." I muttered. "We need to leave this house." I muttered.

"Lily, honestly, something is wrong with you." He replied.

"I'm serious!" I shouted. "I just saw a lady in the window pull mom out the window with her!" I screamed. "This place is gross, old, and haunted! We need to leave!" I yelled.

"Lily, you need to calm down. I know you didn't want to move, but just give it a chance."

"Dad! Listen to me!"

"I don't want to hear it! We aren't leaving and that is final!" He shouted. My baby sister started crying loudly. He ran upstairs to see what was wrong with her. I followed him upstairs.

"Dad!" I screamed with a hoarse voice. He slammed the door on me. I have to convince him...Mom's body...I ran outside and stood on the side of the house where mom had fallen out the window. Sure enough, her body was there, a pool of blood surrounding it. I saw the lady's reflection in a window on the second floor. She grinned evilly. My heart stopped beating. My dad screamed. I saw my baby sister fly out of the window and land on my mom's body. She was still and quiet. My eyes filled with tears. "This isn't happening...There's no way this is happening..." I mumbled to myself. The old man mumbled more. "She's coming...Kill...Kill...Kill...Lady in the window...Kill...Kill...Kill..." I ran back inside and up the stairs. My dad's lifeless body was covered in glass shards and blood. It was lying near the shattered window my baby sister came from. My sister...!

I ran into her room, nearly busting down the door. "Hey! I told you to knock!"

"Shut up! We have to get out of here!" I screamed. She looked at me with confusion.

"Why?" She asked. "This house is beautiful."

"No it isn't!" I screamed.

She looked behind me and into the hallway. "What happened to the hall?" She asked. "It looks all...disgusting..."

She can see how gross it is now? "Come here!" I shouted. I grabbed her arm and dragged her into my room.

"Eww! It stinks in here! Look at all the dirt!" She complained. "Why are the windows covered up?!" She asked.

"The windows! It was the windows this whole time!" I shouted. The windows made the illusion that this house was perfect. So when the one in the hall was shattered and I duct taped mine, the illusion faded. If that's true though...Then why can I see the dirty house?

"Lily...? What's going on?" She asked. I looked at her with tears.

"I'll tell you later. We have to leave!" I commanded. I dragged her out of my room and down the hall. I heard a loud snapping noise and grabbed my sister's hand. She fell through the floor, but I was able to hold onto her arm. She shrieked. "No!" I screamed. "No! No! No! No!" I saw the window at the end of the hall fix itself by placing the shards of glass together like a puzzle. The woman's reflection appeared in the window, watching as we struggled.

I wasn't thinking anymore. I'm not sure what I did, but a rock from outside hurled into the window, smashing it again. I lifted my sister up and we kept running. "What was that?! How did you do that?!" She asked.

"I don't know! Keep running!" I yelled. We both took a quick glance at the dead bodies of my mom and baby sister. Her body wanted to freeze up in fear, I could tell because I had to pull her the whole way to Minato's house.

"Lily...Who were those people...?" She quietly asked.

"Our mom and baby sister..." I muttered.

"Our mom?" She repeated in the same tone my dad had repeated it in. "She died ten years ago, remember? We don't have a baby sister, either."


End file.
